The once-maligned The Last Jedi is now seen as the most faithful to George Lucas' themes of nonviolence and sacrifice as personified in Luke Skywalker.
It’s been almost five years since Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi split the increasingly brittle Star Wars fandom, mainly over the way that the movie represents Luke Skywalker . For a vocal segment of the fan base, the original last Jedi wasn’t an action hero enough in the movie, choosing instead to be a conscientious objector in the interminable galactic conflict.
The scene is the culminating expression of the controlling idea of sacrifice that underpins the original trilogy, which Lucas dramatizes throughout the three movies. In A New Hope, Luke’s Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen are sacrificed so that Luke can break away and join the Rebellion. Later, Obi-Wan Kenobi sacrifices himself to Vader to empower Luke. The Empire Strikes Back teems with sacrifices. Luke abandons his training with Yoda to save Princess Leia and Han Solo.
It doesn’t matter, because ultimately Vader acts out of love – for his son, perhaps for humanity in general – not vengeance, in dispensing with the Emperor. Return of the Jedi is affecting because it shows that redemption is always possible, right up until the end. No matter how awful we’ve been or how many mistakes we’ve made, the next choice can still be selfless, can still be in the service of good. And that will always matter.
When Luke tells Jedi apprentice Rey in The Last Jedi that he saw her “raw strength only once before,” he could easily be referring to himself and his own raw strength, which almost tilted the entire galaxy to the Dark Side 30 years earlier. It also explains why Luke considered killing Kylo Ren in the briefest moment of “pure [murderous] instinct.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
U.S. births rose last year but remain behind pre-pandemic levelsThe small 1% increase was a bit of a rebound from 2020.
Read more »
U.S. births rose last year but still less than before the pandemicOfficials think last year’s uptick reflects births from pregnancies that had been put off during the uncertain early days of the Covid crisis.
Read more »
More US Births Last Year But Still Fewer Babies Than Pre-Pandemic 2019The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a fertility rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself. But it’s recently been sliding.
Read more »
Last Slave Ship Has Selma-Dallas Co. Connection - Alabama NewsJohn Crear of Selma is the grandson of Matilda McCrear, the last known survivor of the last known U.S. slave ship, the Clotilda. alnews selma alabamanewsnetwork
Read more »
Diesel Fuel Costs Soaring — Up 75% from Last YearThe cost for diesel fuel — used by farmers and truckers to supply Americans with products they need — is up 75 percent from last year.
Read more »
Watch: New York City Disconnects Last Street PayphoneNew York City said goodbye to its last public street payphone on Monday after dominating city streets for years.
Read more »